Radial Bass Bone 2

I use the headway but found the mute switch made a large pop/spike through the PA. I now use bassbone V2 with the headway going into channel 1. Elec into chan 2. Also depends on the gig. Club gigs doesn't matter so much but large concert halls accompanying an orchestra headway mute switch was not quiet enough. Haven't really tried the bassbone on its own for double mainly because I'm too lazy to plug in a power supply when the headway lives in my double bass case and runs on battery.

 

I have a Bassbone OD which I bought because I wanted the PZ switch but did not want to wait for the Bassbone v2, which was not yet available. I don't use the OD, etc. But it does work well for doubling, the mute is absolutely quiet (bad news that a mute switch would make a noise). The eq works well and the hpf is very good. It is designed such that it does not produce a ton of gain so everything stays very clean. So based on my experience I think the Bassbone v2 would be a good unit for doubling.

 

One other difference between the BassBone OD and the BassBone v2: The OD has a full-blown EQ for each channel - the v2 has an EQ on one channel, and a set of "shape/contour" switches on the other channel. So if you want full EQ control, the OD is a better option.

 

Anyone using this unit for doubling still? Vs the bassbone od which is best? Seems like amp could eq electric and bassbone eq for upright would be just fine... also no mid control on the OD...

 

I still use my v1 Bassbone. Electric on input 1 and upright on 2. I haven't used the other versions so I can't compare, but haven't felt the need to change either.

 

I haven't found any "two-into-one" preamps useful for any applications where you're sending a bass or high energy signal to the PA. If you have a bass guitar and upright going into the same amp, and you're powering the room with that amp, cool, but if you're sending one line to the FOH for and upright and electric, it just doesn't work for me.

On the gigs where I need to bring an upright and bass guitar, I request two inputs on the front of house mixing desk. I send one dedicated line for each instrument. Unless you're traveling with a dedicated FOH engineer, sending an upright and bass guitar through the same channel is a great way to make both instruments sound "not good." The HPF, compression, and EQ that are needed for both to sit properly in a mix out front aren't going to happen on a single channel. IMO, the required settings to make an upright sound great and a bass guitar sound great are pretty far apart in the context of a band mix. Plus, if you are EQing from the stage, what you need as a player, and what the FOH needs could be wildly different depending on the room.

In short, two dedicated channels sent to FOH, and then monitor from the stage using whatever method you prefer.

 

I feel the same way, and FOH engineers I've worked with like to have separate signals for upright and electric. Lately I've been using a Genzler Magellan 800 head with my electric going into the input and my upright going through a Grace Designs BiX going into the aux in of the Magellan, which goes straight to the Master output bus. FOH can take a line from the Bix for upright, and electric from the Magellan direct out. I'd love to get a Felix, since that has separate xlr outs for each channel (and I LOVE the sound of the BiX on my upright)...but I need to sell some stuff!

 

+1

 

I agree there with Pat Harris, I Recently bought a Radial Bassbone OD I set it up as you would. EB in channel B and upright in channel A. Then I started recording and found the EB straight into the AMP (Genz) wasn't necessarily better but I had more power and less EQ circuitry to go through. The Radial has a lot of headroom built in due to the CUT/Boost eq. I bought an Impedance boosting cable adaptor for the mic and that into channel B with the piezo in channel A sounds pretty good. I might try the Radial into the Genz AUX thanks Fat Bob.



Radial DI for Upright, Genz DI for EB.

 

That's what I plan to do with my setup next time I will be doubling: bass guitar into instrument input of my amp (Markbass/Genz Benz), my EUB into EBS pedal preamp into my amp's FX loop return.

EBS DI for EUB, amp DI for EB...

 

I also agree with using separate DIs.

 

For a gig with no PA or FOH I find the bassbone to work well although a bit of a tone suck. Otherwise i agree with 2 DI's...

 

I found it's lower in volume and does a little compressing. It's how Radial gets the headroom for the tone circuit, so normal volume is achieved with the Tone on or near full, similar to an AMP circuit. It's boosting the Bass at 500Hz and below and Treble from 100Hz up both in an almost parabolic curve. Hence why I prefer to use my EB straight into the AMP. The Bassbone can handle UB duties and I'll leave the tone circuit flat, my UB doesn't need any encouragement below 500Hz,,,lol.

I've used the Bassbone on Upright gigs straight into the board and it does a fine job as a Piezo preamp DI. I picked mine up pretty cheap, less than $100us I wouldn't pay retail for it.

 

Thanks for resurrecting this thread. I too have been perplexed by the fact that many 'doubling' solutions for DB/BG, such as the Bassbone, EA Doubler, etc. only have 1 XLR out, as these instruments really need different EQs in the house. A well-designed doubling amp or preamp IMO should really provide separate XLRs for the soundboard, the ability to sculpt EQs for the stage sound of each instrument, and an output to a single sound source from the stage. The Grace Felix is the only standalone preamp I know of that can really do this.

The best solution I have found thus far is the one @tyb507 mentioned - turning my Magellan into a quasi-two channel amp by running an outboard pre into the Aux In. The Aux In on the Magellan sums directly to the power amp and does not feed the DI, so it works.

 

How about putting the EB into one channel and the DB in to the other, then stick another DI between the output on the amp. Then you have two FOH channels and two signals going to amp also??